By Air

Chennai is an international arrival point and an important domestic airport. The Anna International Airport is well organised and not too heavily used, making Chennai a good entry or exit point. There’s rarely more than one plane on the ground at any given time. Right next door is the relatively new Kamarajar Domestic Airport.

When leaving India, a departure tax of Rs 150 is payable on flights from Chennai to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and Rs 300 on other international destinations.

Domestic Airlines

 

Damania Airways East West Airlines Indian Airlines Jet Airways Modiluft NEPC Airlines

: 17 K N Khan Rd (Phone + 91-44-8280610) :  9 Kodambakkam High Rd (Phone + 91-44-8277007) : 19 Marshalls Rd, Egmore; open Monday to Saturday from 8 am   to 8 pm (Phone + 91-44-8251677; Fax + 91-44-8277675) : 14 K N Khan Rd (Phone + 91-44-8257914) : Prestige Point, 16 Haddows Rd (Phone + 91-44-8260048) : GR Complex, 407/408 Anna Salai (Phone + 91-44-4344259)

Domestic Flights : In additon to the flights from Chennai, East West Airlines flies daily to Mumbai and Delhi; Modiluft has daily flights to Mumbai and six times a week to Hyderabad; Damania Airways flies daily to Mumbai and Calcutta; and Jet Airways has services twice daily to Mumbai.

International Airlines

 

Air France Air India Air Lanka British Airways Cathay Pacific Kuwait Airways Lufthansa Malaysian Airlines Maldives Airways Quantas Singapore Airlines Swiss Air

: Apex Plaza, 3 Nungambakkam High Rd (Phone +91-44-8250295) : 19 Marshalls Rd, Egmore; open daily from 9.30 am to 1 pm and   1.45   to 5.30 pm (Phone +91-44-8274477) : Mount Chambers, 758 Anna Salai (Phone +91-44-8522301/4232) : Khaleeli Centre, Montieth Rd, Egmore (Phone +91-44-8274272) : Spencer Plaza, 769 Anna Salia (Phone +91-44-8256318) : 55 Montieth Rd, Egmore (Phone +91-44-8261331) : 167 Anna Salai (Phone +91-44-852-5095) : Karumuttu Centre, 498 Anna Salai (Phone +91-44-456651) : Crossworld Tours,7 Nungambakkam High Rd (Phone :   91-44-471497) : 112 Nungambakkam High Rd (Phone +91-44-827-8680) : 167 Anna Salai (Phone +91-44-8521872) : 191 Anna Salai (Phone +91-44-8261583)

By Roads

The Tamil Nadu state bus company, Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation (TTC), and its bus terminal (also known as the Express bus stand) are on Esplanade Rd in George Town, around the back of the High Court building. Interstate buses, which are run by the affiliated Jayalalitha Jayaram Transport Corporation (JJTC), also leave from here.

The TTC / JJTC reservation office (Phone 91-44-5341835/1408) upstairs is computerised and is open from 7 am to 9 pm daily. There’s a Rs 2 reservation fee, and you have to pay Rs 0.25 for the from!

The state bus stand is on the other side of Prakasam Rd. This terminal is total chaos and nothing is written in English. However, this does not present any real difficulties since an army of young boys attach themselves to every foreigner, and for Rs 1 they’ll find your bus.

The main reason to use this stand is for buses to Mahabalipuram. There are a number of services, the most direct being No 188 and 188A / B / D / K. The journey takes two hours and costs Rs 9.40. There are 20 of these daily. The other Mahabalipuram services are Nos 19A, 19C, 119A (via Covelong, 21 times daily) and 108B (via Chennai airport and Chengalpattu, four times daily).

There are also a number of private bus companies with offices in the Egmore area which run superdeluxe video buses on a daily basis to cities such as Bangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy. Prices are similar to the state buses, although the private buses tend to be more comfortable.

On Rails

The reservation office at Central station is on the 2^nd floor of the building adjacent to the station (across the smelly drain which passes between the two buildings). In this booking hall, you can also make reservations for trains originating in Ahmedabad, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Patna, Pune and many other places.

Also here is the ‘Tourist Cell’, which deals with Indrail Pass and tourist - quota bookings. This ‘cell’ is immensely useful for foreign visitors unfamiliar with the Indian Railways system.

The reservation office (Phone 91-44-8251564/55) is open Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm and 2.15 to 8 pm; Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm. At Egmore station, the booking office is in the station itself, and is open the same hours as the office at Central station.

On Water

Services to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are prone to change, so make enquiries about the latest schedules. There is currently on boat, the MV Nancowry, which sails from Chennai every 10 or so days to Port Blair, on South Andaman. The trip takes about 52 hours. Once a month, the boat sails via Car Nicobar. This voyage takes an extra two days; foreign nationals are not allowed to disembark at Car Nicobar.

Cabin fares per person are Rs 2000 (two - berth), Rs 1650 (four - berth) and Rs 1300 (Six - berth). There’s also ‘bunk class’ (or ‘mass accommodation’ as it’s also described) which costs Rs 550 per person. Meals are available on board for about Rs 160 per day in the cabin classes and Rs 100 per day in the bunk class.

Tickets are issued at the Directorate of Shipping Services (Phone 91-44-5226873) at 6 Rajaji Salai (opposite the Customs House) in George Town. Foreigners must get a permit for the islands before they buy a boat ticket (see the Visa Extensions & Permits section at the start of this chapter for details).

Should you be in need of a shipping agent, try Binny & Co Ltd (Ph 91-44-586894) at 65 Armenian St, Geroge Town.